Collecting sticks

We collect sticks every few days to use as kindling.  Our woodshed is full of logs.  This is how we keep warm when it's cold outside.  The 3 little kittens are playful and adventurous.  They're 7 weeks old now.

One of the two babies was born this week, on Wednesday.  Rob, the boys and I went to meet her today.  I held her first.  These friends are Amish and the mother asked me to take a few photos to print off and mail out to family that lives in another state.  We got the photos printed at a store nearby and picked them up already.  

A few more carrots harvested. Pumpkin cake.  Below, the Litia at the nearby convent one day this week.  Thanksgiving day was a warm and beautiful day! The boys peeled and cut potatoes, my husband always does the mashing.  He likes it smooth.  We went to eat turkey with friends who live just 2 miles away and brought an apple pie, pecan tart and pumpkin pie.  The hostess made a lovely cranberry tart with hazelnut crust! 

We're cooking venison on the woodstove.  I'm shaking a jar of cream skimmed from the top of a jar of raw milk from Bella.  Hopefully we'll have butter to go with dinner tonight.  The Nativity fast starts Monday!

I've drawn quite a few of these family patron saint drawings this fall.  This is the 7th one a woman ordered from me, she's giving them as gifts to various friends!  I charge $20 each.

I hope you have a nice weekend!

Warm hats

i crochet two hats, well, actually more like bonnets for two mothers-to-be.  Both their babies are due this coming week.  I used Tunisian crochet, so it's just a little thicker than regular crochet.

Yesterday we stayed home all day.  I felt like it was a very productive day.  Paul uses the free activities to help him learn math facts through this website www.xtramath.org, which he enjoys, and I do, too, as accuracy and speed are encouraged, and each day is only about 5 minutes. After our history lesson, reading from Story of the World (from the library, which I can renew, as long as no one else puts in a request for it), pages 238-242 on China, Paul copied the calligraphy characters in Chinese using pens we got as a gift from Hannah.  We made a double batch of vegan cornbread.  The boys and I hiked through the pasture where the sheep are, then ventured into the woods and collected a basket full of branches to use when we make a fire in the woodstove.  

This 4 year old has been making a lot of art recently.  He said, "I'm making eggs.  Ovals."  He's observing colors and what they make when mixed.  While I worked in the preschool in Cincinnati, I learned the benefit of only offering 2 primary colors at a time to a child.  They can use those 2 colors alone or mix them to make a 3rd color... let them discover it on their own and tell about it!

We got about an inch of snow Wed. morning.  It warmed up, rained and froze again, so it's quite crunchy and lots of little icicles.

My sister gave us splash pants, which are waterproof, great for putting over warm clothes and playing in the snow.  We also got some excellent mittens.  I use my own crocheted mittens and wear a wool beret.  Have you felt the cold or had snow yet this fall?

Beeswax candles

We had a tour of the candle making facility after Liturgy today for Sunday School and also got to make some candles. When we got home, George lit his!  We also made a fire in the woodstove as it's finally cooled off.  There were flurries in the air.

This week we decided to separate Bella and her 8 month old calf, Ferdinand, so we have a lot of milk, about 2 gallons every day.  We drink a lot of milk.  I'm making cheese.  We also give it to the pigs as a treat sometimes. We made cardboard looms to weave on and here's my project:  

Day of rest

I always look forward to Sundays.  It's nice to go to church and then home to rest, walk in nature, take a nap, read a book.

One of my favorite mugs broke this week...I used superglue to put it back together and will use it as a pen and pencil holder now.

Although it is a day of rest, we still need to eat and care for our animals, so there is work, but the things that can wait for tomorrow, will. These kittens are now four weeks old.

The meadow is mostly brown, there is still some green, but the flowers are done and the trees have pretty much lost their leaves. 

We made a pinata to celebrate George's 4th birthday earlier this week.  

He had a great few days!  It's been balmy this week in the 60s and 70s.  I made a penuche frosting to top the cake!